Growing Fond of Carrots
by FoxFloss
Summary: Nick Wilde, snarky, sarcastic, and witty fox officer decides to accompany his partner, Judy Hopps, on a weekend long vacation to her hometown Bunny Burrow. While there, he will get to meet her backwards-minded parents and try to persuade them to trust him. Oh and let's not forget the undeniable feelings he has towards his partner that he must sort out. What chaos will ensue?


_**"To love is nothing. To be loved is something. But to love and be loved, that's everything."**_

* * *

The roaring engine threatened to burst from from its chassis. The cacophonous suspension made its presence known with every bump the truck endured on its seemingly endless journey.

It traveled down the beaten up path. The road was covered in gravel, causing the truck to slip as it trudged onward.

Behind the wheel, sat a medium sized fiery red fox. He donned an easygoing expression, his cream-colored muzzle pulled slightly back into a content smile. His emerald gaze was shielded behind tinted aviators. The fox was dressed in simple clothing; a baby blue sweater with light brown khakis.

To his right, sitting upright in the passenger seat and perky as ever, was a small and slender silver furred rabbit. Her large amethyst eyes surveyed the road ahead, though she'd sometimes alternate her gaze so that it lied on the fox next to her. She wore similar clothing; a lavender-colored sweater with denim jeans.

Her expression was semi akin to her foxy counterpart. She seemed to be content with her surroundings, albeit a little nervous. The warmth from the sun's rays were soaked up through her short grey fur. The autumn breeze poured in through the open window, sending her long, black-tipped ears back. However, these sensations did little to calm her nerves down.

"Nick!" The bunny called for the fox over the roaring wind. The aforementioned vulpine did her a favor and rolled up the windows, effectively quieting the racket of the howling wind.

"Yes, rabbit." He mimicked her. The nickname caused her to roll her eyes.

"Thank you for coming with me."

He couldn't help but grin bashfully.

"No problem, Carrots. Ya' know I have a hard time saying no to you." He replied, a small blush forming beneath his russet-colored fur. Luckily, it went unnoticed by the rabbit. "I think it has something to do with your eyes… they always seem to hypnotize me." He flirted while letting out a small chuckle to hide his unease. The bunny responded by shifting in her seat, her ears visibly pinker than before. She mulled over her next choice of words before speaking.

"You could've said no. I would've understood." She purposefully lost eye contact with him while fiddling with her paws, a nervous habit she had developed over the years.

"What and leave you alone through all this?" The fox scoffed, "You can't get rid of me that easily."

"Nick. Don't forget that this place is my home, I grew up here. It's familiar territory." She quipped back, "I'd be fine on my own." She told the truth… for the most part. She'd never admit it out loud, but having her partner and best friend next to her had managed to calm her nerves slightly.

"Judy, I thought we went over this. I needed the time off from work. All those case files were really getting to my head." He joked and then backpedalled, "I wanted to come along. I'm excited to meet your parents and your seven-hundred-something siblings."

"Two hundred seventy-five." She corrected.

"Right." The fox nodded, "But the point I'm trying to make here is that I consented to all of this. I agreed to tag along. So please, Carrots, stop beating yourself up over this." He took his eyes off the road for a split second to send her a rare genuine smile.

"Y-You're a great friend, Nick." The rabbit cooed while smiling.

"Tell me something I don't know." He tilted his head back and let out a laugh.

The rabbit giggled, entranced by her best friend's sarcastic attitude towards everything and how his snark could easily brighten her mood… even when times were rough.

Listening to the vehicles steady hum, she mulled over all the unfortunate events that had happened this week that led her and her partner to take a surprise trip to the magical land simply known as, Bunny Burrow.

* * *

She could recall spending the night at Nick's apartment; a place she found herself visiting more often than usual. She'd usually spend her week nights watching cheesy sci-fi flicks with him. They'd commentate over the film, voicing their thoughts and opinions like professional movie critics. Sometimes they'd even watch cop shows and pick fun at how unbelievable and unrealistic they were together. Then, after the show ended, they'd nitpick at each other's flaws until they became exhausted.

However, tonight wasn't their typical movie night. Due to an unsuspecting power outage in the neighborhood, Nick had invited her over to play some good old fashioned board games in the dark. The gloomy room was barely lit with tiny scented candles. The flickering candle light somehow played a role in exaggerating the importance of the board game.

Every time she'd make a move on the board she'd snap her gaze towards her partner. She'd study his reaction; the subtle competitiveness hiding behind those captivating green eyes. They were both into a nerve-racking game of Checkers when her phone went off.

The fox growled at the ceiling in frustration. He had a whole series of moves planned out in his head that required his full concentration. His partner's aggravating ringtone had distracted him, causing him to lose his train of thought.

The bunny giggled at his reaction. She briefly apologized before picking up her phone. She didn't bother to look at the caller ID as she answered with a cheerful-

"Hello."

"Judy? Judy, it's your Mother." A familiar feminine-like voice leaked through her phone's speaker. The bunny smiled upon recognizing her mother's soothing country accent. She usually called at this time of night to catch up with her. They often talked about her job on the force, new cases she was on, and even how her partner Nick was doing from time to time.

Though, unbeknownst to Judy at the time, her mother had called for entirely different reasons. She had come bearing bad news.

"Hello, Mom." She replied while sliding her checker piece across the board. She smiled when her partner scoffed, noticing that she had taken out and collected two of his pieces.

"Where are you? Are you doing okay?" Her Mother, Bonnie, asked.

"I'm fine." She assured her, "I'm at Nick's place."

"Ah. I see. How is he?" Bonnie politely asked.

Judy rolled her eyes and tilted the phone's receiver towards her partner.

"I'm being attacked, Mrs. Hopps. Your daughter is destroying me in checkers!" He smirked while laying a paw over his chest like a wounded soldier. It was a simple ploy to get his partner to laugh a little. He succeeded.

He always succeeded.

"That's my Judith for ya. Always competitive? Just like her father." Bonnie joked back with as much snark as she could. Judy noticed that her usual peppiness seemed to falter towards the end of her sentence, which immediately sparked her curiosity. "I bet you're wondering why I called?" Bonnie asked her daughter.

"Mom, what's wrong? Did something happen to the produce? Was there an accident?" The bunny immediately shifted her focus from the board game in front of her to the phone call where she began asking a thousand different questions. Her gaze narrowed and she held her breath when she heard the line go silent for a bit.

"J-Judy um… I don't know- I'm not sure how to tell you this… but I've got some bad news." Judy listened intently, her eyes now widening. She heard her mother sniff over the phone, a small indicator to show that she was now trying to hold back tears. This immediately worried her. Her paw had somehow absentmindedly snaked its way towards her beating chest. She was suddenly aware of her own beating heart.

The board game has been put on hold for now. Her gaze fell onto her partner who was sitting behind the coffee table. Nick stared back at her with confusion, barely able to pick up on the phone call due to her phone's media volume being so low. Eventually, Nick had urged her to continue the conversation with a few rolling paw gestures.

"Bad news?"

"Yes… Judy, it's your Grandpa." Her mother summoned all her strength, trying her best to finish her explanation and keep her composure.

"W-What about him, Mom? He's okay right?" Her voice started to crack.

"Judy, your Grandpa passed away in his sleep last night."

Her usual erratic heartbeat seemed to stop.

It felt like a thousand knives were cutting into her heart strings. Her stomach and diaphragm seemed to tighten up. Her throat started to constrict, making it extremely difficult to swallow. Lastly, her eyes fluttered shut.

She tried not to cry.

Deep breaths. Deep breaths. Deep calming breaths.

It was there, behind the coffee table, in Nick's small apartment building, under the flickering candle light, that she cried her little heart out.

* * *

The aged vehicle shook again, causing her to come back to reality. The memories of that night pained her more than anything. No matter how hard she tried to forget about it, her mind kept bringing it back up.

Her once brave and heroic Grandfather had been swept away from this mortal coil, and there was nothing she could do to bring him back. Like it or not, she had to accept it. She had to move on, and this unplanned trip to Bunny Burrow would hopefully help with that. The funeral would be held this weekend. Hopefully, she could make it till then without letting her emotions get to her.

What would Nick think of her if she couldn't keep her emotions in check? Throughout her career, she had reinforced the idea to everyone around her, including her co-workers, partner, and boss, that she was as tough as steel and should be taken seriously. She worked extremely hard to gain respect at the office since most mammals still didn't fancy a rabbit being a fully fledged officer of the law.

In the corner of her vision, she saw a flash of burgundy red land on her collar.

She took a chance and turned her gaze towards her shoulder.

She regretted it.

Nick's large red paw laid softly on her shoulder. Her gaze followed the paw up to his wrist, and then past his arm to where it connected to his collar. She mustered up all the courage that she could and continued the voyage towards his piercing emerald gaze.

The look on her partner's face showed nothing but compassion and understanding. His expression was serious, there was no usual smirk and no half-lidded gaze. His muzzle would open and then close as if he were trying to figure out what to say. Eventually, he pieced together a coherent sentence.

"Carrots, I know these past few hours have been really tough on you. But you don't have to fight this alone. I won't judge you for letting your emotions out… and if you ever need to talk, I'm here for you." The structure of his words was quite sloppy, though they did immense work at cheering her up. She realized the seriousness of his tone. That he wasn't lying. His insufferable snark was gone for the moment.

The rabbit sensed her own paw gravitating towards her shoulder. She watched her small paw lace around his own and squeeze lightly.

She never fully grasped the size difference between herself and her partner. However, holding his paw had definitely shed some light on the idea.

She distracted herself from her negative thoughts by fully examining it. His paw had to be almost twice the size of her own. The rough and gritty texture of his paw pads and the dark ruby red fur around it. His honed claws barely on display, hidden behind tufts of fur. She almost guffawed at how absurd this moment was. Here she was, a small rabbit, holding the paw of a predator. A predator who her ancestors would surely run from if they were even given the chance. And yet, she had no fear.

"T-Thank you, Nick. Cheese and crackers I'm such a mess." She briefly grazed her face with her other paw, attempting to dry the short silver fur below her eyes. She felt absolutely miserable.

"Don't say that. Any mammal in this situation would be feeling the same." Nick reasoned, trying his best to cheer his best friend up.

Another rogue rock had caused the truck to slip. The bunny shook her head and retracted her paw back into her lap. Nick noticed the contact abruptly end and altered his gaze from the road for a second. He rolled his eyes when he noticed the bashful bunny was shrinking under his gaze with embarrassment.

"Hey." The fox called, trying to grab her attention. Slowly, Judy cranked her head up to look at the russet fox. His elbow rested on the truck's middle console. The same paw she held moments ago was held open to her. "Whatever happens this weekend, whatever hardships you go through, I'm always here for you."

Judy forced a bashful smile and snaked her paw around his once again.

* * *

"Come inside, dears! Don't be shy, Nicholas." Spoke an aged silver-furred rabbit. Her long black tipped ears stood upright and her large amethyst eyes beamed proudly as she greeted her guests. If the fox hadn't been informed earlier, he would've mistaken Judy's Mother for one of her older sisters. They looked nearly identical, with a few exceptions. The rabbit ushered the two into her home while offering to carry their luggage.

"That won't be necessary, Mrs. Hopps." Nick politely reassured her. Judy had just retrieved her heavy bag from the trunk and started to make her journey towards her partner and Mother by the front door.

"Welcome, Nick. It's so nice to finally meet you in person." The motherly rabbit said while deciding to go outside of her comfort zone. She pushed up onto the tip of her toes and swung both her arms around Nick's neck. Nick laughed and hunched forward so that Judy's mother didn't have to stretch to reach him.

Once pleasantries were fully exchanged, the group entered the house.

The first thing Judy noticed was the house's interior decor hadn't changed since her last visit a year ago.

The greeting room was decorated with dark spruce colored floorboards and pastel green colored wallpaper. The walls held all sorts of family photos encased in wooden frames. The floor was semi covered with a red and white checkered rug while the high ceiling held an expensive chandelier.

The fox twirled on one foot and let out a small whistle.

"Sure have a nice home, Mrs. Hopps." He chuckled to himself, now noticing all the expensive and heavy looking furniture meticulously placed around the room.

"Oh! The flattery! Thank you, Nicholas. By the way, you can just call me, Bonnie. Formalities are not needed in this household." The fox nodded, "I believe my husband, Stu, was supposed to be here to greet you two. I'll go get him." Nick noticed her scowl when she mentioned her absent husband. He watched her disappear down the hall in search of the absent bunny.

The fox lowered his gaze back to his partner.

"So… when were you going to tell me you lived in a _cussing_ mansion?" He asked incredulously while outstretching his arms.

"It's not as roomy as you might think."

"Are you kidding? This place has to be at least…" He quickly did the math, "quadruple the size of Mammalian Stadium."

"That's stretching the truth there, partner. You think 275 rambunctious little kits can live comfortably in a home like this?" Judy asked incredulously, "Or have you forgotten how many siblings I have?"

"I thought you were joking."

"Why would I lie?! I wasn't kidding when I said we're good at multiplying."

The fox reeled back.

Just then, Bonnie made another appearance, a larger more rotund buck was following closely behind her.

"Well if it isn't, Jude The Dude." The buck smiled while beckoning his daughter into an extremely tight and strong hug that would've made a grizzly bear wince. Judy heard her childhood nickname and blushed with embarrassment. She reluctantly turned her head to look at her partner. Her eyes widened when he silently mouthed her old nickname.

Moments later, her father broke the air restricting hug. He grasped his daughter by the shoulders and eyed her up and down as if he were examining her for any scars or wounds. That was normal, considering he never fully admired the imminent danger of her occupation and always worried about her wellbeing.

"That police work been treatin' you nice I s'pose? Hopefully, they haven't put you on any dangerous cases no more."

"Dad, I'm fine. I'm always cautious. I also have Nick, he has my back in case things get hairy." Judy explained while trying to put her father's worries to rest.

She nodded at her partner who she just mentioned. Nick stood off on the sideline, watching the father-daughter spectacle, merely waiting for his presence to be known by the buck. Stu noticeably jolted when he turned around and laid eyes on the large lanky fox standing in front of him.

"You must be, Nicholas Wilde?"

"You would be correct, Sir."

Stu's dark brown eyes got all wide and his whiskers started to fidget. His arms locked themselves behind his back and his posture straightened. His aged legs decided to shake like there was an earthquake below his feet. If Nick had rabbit ears he'd be able to hear how fast Stu's heart was beating.

Stu was as nervous as a kit about to jump off a high dive. Nick noticed his fidgety behavior and tried to reassure him by lending one of his famous half lidded smirks.

It seemed to do the trick.

Stu forced a polite smile and outstretched his paw, "I think we've talked on the phone before… I'm Judy's father, Stu Hopps. Judy has spoken a great deal about you."

"All good things I hope?" The fox rolled his eyes before accepting the friendly gesture. They shook paws briefly and smiled lightly at one another.

"Well now that you've been introduced to the headmasters of the family, Nicholas, I can show you to your room." Bonnie spoke up. She gestured for him to follow her down the hall.

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Mr. Hopps." Nick two-finger saluted before following Bonnie down the narrow corridor.

Stu bid his new guest farewell and turned to face his daughter.

"Why don't you follow your Partner, sweetheart?" He insisted, noticing that his daughter hadn't moved.

"I thought I told you to scrap that old nickname, Dad!" The rabbit fumed at her father before storming out of the living room to follow her partner. Stu frowned at her outburst, puzzled as to why she would be angry at him.

* * *

"Luckily, the litter that lived on this floor just moved out so there are plenty of rooms available for you." Bonnie nervously explained while walking down the corridor. It was completely obvious that she was trying to make a good first impression towards her new house guest.

Nick noticed how similar the hallways looked to a hotel in the city. Doorways were separated every few feet on either side. Next to each door rested a golden plaque with a letter initial. "The room you will stay in will also be close to Judy's." Nick was pulled from his thoughts. He noticed that he felt more comfortable after hearing that.

It had been a spur of the moment decision to accompany Judy on her trip to Bunny Burrow. It took a few persuasion methods to finally get his Chief to relent and give him permission to leave work, some of which, involved janitorial duty. He was most certainly not looking forward to cleaning the precinct bathrooms when he got back.

Nick didn't have the heart to confess to Judy that this whole trip secretly scared the living hell out of him. For one, he was surrounded by a bunch of backwards-minded rabbits who all seemed to have a distaste for his kind. And two, he had never really ventured out beyond the city before. He was way outside of his comfort zone and it was a miracle that he was able to keep up his usual calm facade.

The only thing keeping him from tucking his tail between his legs and buying the next train ticket home, was Judy. He couldn't abandon her at a time like this. His partner was hurting and she needed someone to comfort her, regardless if she insisted that she didn't. He'd like to think that he knew her better than anyone else and he definitely could tell that this drastic news had deeply affected her.

Eventually, the two mammals stopped at a door. Nick watched Bonnie open the door with a key and beckon him into the room. Being taller than the average rabbit, the fox had to duck down to avoid hitting his head on the door frame.

"I hope the room isn't too small. It's not every day that we have a fox in our home."

Nick did a little twirl, examining the room and all of its _minute_ details.

"It's perfect."

* * *

The fox had just finished unpacking his suitcase. He successfully transferred and stored his bathroom items underneath the sink, put all of his clothes away into a nearby dresser, and even managed to plug in his phone to a nearby wall outlet.

Feeling productive, the fox sauntered out of the room in search of his rabbit. He eyed the sides of the hallway, noticing the plaques again.

Upon more careful inspection, he noticed that the rooms were sorted alphabetically. He walked carefully throughout the halls in search of the rooms that were labeled with J's.

He rounded the corner and noticed a door decorated with posters. He almost laughed when he inspected them. Some posters were locational maps of Zootopia and others had pictures of ZPD officers.

" _Keep calm and let justice do its job."_ The fox audibly giggled when reading some of the posters' decorative text.

"You can come in, Nick." The fox startled upon hearing the familiar voice through the thick wooden door. He instantly grimaced and slowly turned the doorknob, allowing himself to enter the room.

"H-How did you know it was me?" He asked curiously while taking his first few steps into the room. He noticed his partner was tucked underneath her silky bed sheets, reading a book. Upon more careful inspection, he noticed the small purple reading glasses she wore and how adorably cute they made her look.

"These ears aren't just for show." She quipped sarcastically.

She simply watched as her partner waltzed around her room. He examined the picture frames on the walls, the medium-sized messy desk in the corner, and even her miniature closet. Eventually, he stopped and altered his gaze so that it lied on the rabbit sitting on the bed. A mischievous smile started to form on his muzzle.

"So… Jude the du-" He abruptly yelped when he felt a cushioned object hit him in the head. The force of the impact had somehow caused him to stumble backwards a few feet.

"Never. Call. Me. That. Again." The rabbit scolded. He noticed that she held another stuffed plush animal behind her head, pulled back like a medieval slingshot and ready to launch at her partner if necessary.

"I surrender." He put up both paws in the air. A moment later his gaze fell towards the small red book in her paws, "What'ch you reading there, Carrots?"

He watched as the rabbit visibly cringed.

"Nothing… just an old manual from the academy… police codes and all… boring stuff." The bunny shrunk underneath his gaze and tried to disappear into the bed's cushioning.

"Nice try, Carrots." She felt her breath leave her body. "You and I both know that you can recite, word for word, the entire Zootopian Police Manual."

She watched as his pupils seemed to dilate into slits. His tail swished playfully behind him. She hadn't had time to prepare.

With agility and speed that only a trained predator could mimic, he pounced onto the bed and quickly snatched the little red book. The rabbit tried fighting to get the book back by flailing her arms out at him. But she ended up being pushed back down into the mattress by her partner.

He smirked as he read the title out loud.

"Desire: a Romance Novel by Arthur Whiskerful." He tilted his head back and let out a loud boisterous laugh. The horrified rabbit finally made a successful grab for the book. She folded her arms across her chest and began to pout. The embarrassment was to much.

She wondered how long it would take her to die if she smothered herself with her pillow. "You seriously read that crap, Carrots?" The fox clutched at his aching stomach, trying desperately to breathe.

"Y-Yes… damn it, Nick. It's suspenseful and intriguing and… you know what?! I don't need to explain myself to you." The rabbit felt her body heat up. However, she held her head up high and prepared for the verbal assault her partner would soon give her.

"Wait, wait, wait! Let me guess…" The fox smiled, closed his eyes, and outstretched his arms, "A cheesy romance novel where the main protagonist is confined to her own society and dictated by her ruthless father. The love interest seeks her out and helps her escape from her own imprisonment. He then shows her the world that she is missing out on and the two fall madly in love." The fox made a show of batting his eyelashes dreamily at the now fuming rabbit.

He whined in protest when she slugged his arm.

* * *

Deciding that was enough harassment for now, and nursing his aching shoulder, the fox made his way towards his room again. Once at the entrance to his room, he decided to check up on his online Furbook Account and see if anyone messaged him while he was away.

Walking up to the waist high nightstand he noticed his phone's absence.

The long white charging cable was hanging from the wall but it wasn't connected to anything. He squinted while trying to remember what he had done with his phone. He distinctively remembered putting it on the charger...

The perplexed fox started to rummage around the room, frantically looking for his cell phone. Sadly, checking under the bed and around the floor had yielded no results either.

 _Creek_

His pointed ear honed in on the sound. He knew that noise… It sounded like someone light walking on a noisy floorboard. He spun around.

His gaze laser focused on a small young female rabbit with cream colored fur and brown markings. He noticed a glint emanating from her open paws. Upon further inspection, he noticed a metallic white rectangle, half her size, held carefully in her paws. His green eyes widened, noticing the familiar object. The bunny deadpans upon making eye contact with the larger more intimidating fox figure.

The kit squeals and makes a break for it.

For a moment, the fox is too stunned to move, his brain struggling to figure out what had just happened in the span of a few seconds. Eventually, it all started to make sense. He launched himself out of the room and hustled towards the end of the hallway where the young kit had disappeared.

He screeched to a halt as he made his way towards the end of the hallway. There were two paths he could take; right or left.

He panicked and decided to trust his gut.

' _Left. Always left'_ he reasoned.

"Ya' know, It's impolite to take someone's stuff without asking." The fox voiced loudly. In an instant, his police training begins to kick in. His predatory senses heighten and he sniffs the air around him.

It's extremely difficult, but he can barely make out the scent of frightened rabbit. He follows the scent until he finally catches sight of the kit. The kit shrieks once again before bounding off down an entirely different hallway.

Nick watches as the young doe disappears behind a door frame. He wastes no time and quickly pushes the door aside and enters the room. He haunches down onto his knees and starts to pant from chasing the kit all throughout the house.

Looking up, he notices that the kit is backed up into a corner. He visibly deflates, realizing that the chase is now over.

However, horror strikes him as he studies his surroundings.

The large mirror hung on the wall, the clean white marble counters, the towel rack hung carefully in the corner… even the toilet near the adjacent wall.

The bathroom.

He notices the quivering kit's outstretched arms. In her grasps resided his cell phone, held precisely above the glistening porcelain toilet bowl, ready to be dropped at any moment.

"Now, now. We can negotiate this." Nick carefully starts to make a few steps. He tries desperately not to startle the young kit into dropping the phone, "P-Please hand the phone back, little one."

The rabbit makes eye contact with the fox, then the device, and then back at the fox. He watches in horror as the rabbit sticks out her tongue, blows a raspberry, and then opens her paws.

 _Splash_

"No! No! No!" The fox lunges towards the toilet and peers into the bowl where his phone is currently sinking towards the bottom. He pulls his ears and lets out a pitiful whine. The kit behind him giggles and shrieks with glee, now realizing that she just one-upped the clever fox.

Taking a deep breath, the fox looks up towards the ceiling, mutters a soft prayer to whatever god may be listening, and quickly reaches into the bowl and snatches his phone out of the water. He feels a gag escape his throat as he holds up his water-clogged phone. He scampers over to the sink and puts his paws under scalding hot water. After drying his paws, the vulpine flicks the phone's on switch. The phone's screen flickers and stutters for a moment before powering itself down. He discarded the broken phone onto the counter.

And then he slowly turns around.

"You." His voice was laced with pure, unfiltered, venom.

The kit gulps, finally grasping the seriousness of the situation. She tries to scamper away but the fox's large paws had caught her mid-stride.

"Gotcha!" The fox yells in triumph as he snatches the young rabbit. His predatory gaze fixates on the young doe. The fox opens his muzzle to yell at her, to give her the scolding of a lifetime, to instill the fear of God into her! Once he was done berating her, she'd never even think of attempting something like that every again. Consider her troublesome and naive youth gone!

Then, suddenly, a small sound derails the vulpine's train of thought.

 _Sounds like a whimper… that's slowly turning into a cry._

"No! Please don't. Please don't cry!" Nick visibly deflates. His shoulders sag and he lets out a shaky breath. He notices that the young one in his paws is visibly shaking, probably scared out of her mind. His blinding rage was now reduced to a puddle.

Great. He somehow managed to scare one of Carrot's younger siblings in only an hour… consider this a new personal high score.

Nick, not knowing what to do, tried his very best to console the young rabbit into not wailing. He carefully re-positioned her so that she lied on his shoulder. He bounced her up and down and started to pat her long brown speckled ears. He knew, from experience with Judy, that rabbits secretly loved when their ears were pet. It was a very sensitive part of a rabbit's physique that did wonders to calm them down.

"It's okay. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get angry. It was my fault for leaving my door unlocked." He cooed into her ear, trying his best not to sound threatening in the slightest. He wondered what would happen is she did shriek and Bonnie or Stu showed up. Imagine trying to explain that one to them.

' _Um. Yeah, your daughter snatched my phone and threw it into the toilet. I decided it would be a fair punishment to yell and snarl at her.'_

A few minutes later he had somehow managed to defuse the small rabbit on his shoulder. It felt weird comparing this young kit to a ticking time bomb, and yet it was quite fitting. It wasn't long before the worked up kit had fallen asleep. He rolled his eyes before taking off down the hallway in search of her room… if he could even find it.

However, as he turned the corner, he ran into a silver flash.

"Oops. Sorry, Nick! I have to be more careful of where I'm going." Nick's gaze fell onto the familiar silver-furred rabbit below him. He noticed that her outfit had changed since the last time he saw her a few minutes ago. She was now wearing comfort clothing that consisted of gray sweatpants and an overly large ZPD sweatshirt. He smiled when he noticed that the sweatshirt had once belonged to him. "Heh. I see you met, Crème." Judy smirked and pointed at the small kit that clung to his shoulder.

"She's a bundle of joy." He lied through gritted teeth.

"Hope she didn't cause you to much trouble, Slick." Judy giggled innocently. The fox forced himself to smile.

"She's been an angel, I can assure you… Now could you please show me her room so that I can throw her into- I mean gently put her to bed?"

* * *

It was just after dinner at the Hopp's family household and Judy had made it her personal mission to show her partner around the house. The pair deliberately walked throughout the home, stopping every once in a while to admire the things around them. Nick tried his best to appear interested as Judy kept rambling on about the house's history. He also tried to avoid stepping on any of the rambunctious kits that decided to play below his feet. The last thing he wanted to do was squash one of Carrot's younger siblings in front of her.

They had just finished the house tour when Nick noticed his partner's face light up like an overpowered Christmas tree.

"Oh! I almost forgot to show you the old barn outside!" She practically shrieked as the thought came to her. In an instant, the unprepared fox was yanked by the arm and down the hall at lightning speed. He let out a loud yelp when the force caused him to stumble. Eventually, he started to pick up his pace and keep up with the lightning fast rabbit.

The two raced throughout the halls, dodging teenage rabbits and the usual commotion that resided within the hallways. Nick was pleasantly surprised at how well Judy knew how to navigate through her own home. No wonder she was able to outrun him and catch crooks in alleyways back in the city.

The pair had finally made it to the back of the house. In front of them was the back patio door. Judy had bounded off down the corner to retrieve their coats that were hung up carelessly on the coat rack. She threw Nick his athletic jacket and yelled at him to put it on, to which he reluctantly obliged.

Then, without warning, the impatient bunny had decided to drag him along for another ride. He flanked her as she pushed the back door aside. The two leaped across the back patio and fell onto the gravel driveway below.

Nick noticed the dramatic difference in temperature when he left the patio. The autumn air was incredibly frigid that night. He felt the icy wind break through his thick fur. He could've sworn that Tundra Town's cooling system had gone haywire and followed them to Bunny Burrow. He shivered a little. He wondered how well Judy was taking the weather with her much shorter fur.

He didn't have much time to ponder that thought as he was swept off his feet again. Eventually, the two stopped in front of what appeared to be an old, burgundy-colored barn. Exactly like the ones Nick had seen in the movies. The tod was now panting for oxygen and the cold air was definitely not helping.

Training at the police academy had been absolute hell. He had done similar exercises that involved running like this for weeks there. It was because of these exercise routines that the vulpine was in the best shape of his life. He wasn't the scrawny street fox he was before. He was now tall and limber and had significant muscle definition. His tailored police uniform had helped accentuate that fact.

After graduating the academy, the tod was stoked that he wouldn't have to lift another weight or run another mile ever again! He could now live the rest of his life eating doughnuts and other sugary delights like his buddy and co-worker Benjamin Clawhauser, the portly Cheetah who was the designated front desk receptionist at the precinct.

And then Judy Hopps came along and ruined everything.

The relentless bunny demanded that he stayed in shape. She insisted that he followed a strict diet; one that did not consist of fried crickets and greasy bug burgers. She even went as far as printing off a workout routine for him.

In truth, she was tired of the whole stereotypical "fat cop" labels, mammals would give them. As a result of his forced excursion, he was now more fit and agile than ever before. Though keeping up with his bunny partner and coworker still proved to be difficult at most times.

"Really, Nick? Did that wipe you out?" She asked cheekily while butting her elbow against his arm in a jeering gesture. Nick was brought down from his thoughts.

"Ha! That was nothing. I can take that any day." The fox spoke with confidence and bravado. He even had the courage to puff out his chest a bit. He watched as she giggled and rolled her eyes sweetly at him.

"Are you ready, Slick?" The bunny asked with her paw wrapped tightly around the barn's door handle, ready to pry it open on his cue.

"While we're still young, Carrots."

Judy ignored his sarcastic remark and instead yanked open the barn door. Immediately, the smell of fresh hay bales, wood, and leather wafted towards him and tickled his snout. He took his first few steps into the barn. The frigid temperatures of the outside were now gone, stifled by the wooden enclosure around him, much to his relief.

He turned his head to the side and giggled when he saw his partner up against the wall trying to feel for the light switch. Judy groaned when she heard her partner's mocking laugh.

"Damn you and your stupid night vision."

"To the right there, Carrots." He said, trying to help her find the switch.

Suddenly, and without warning, the blinding fluorescent lights overhead kicked in. After his eyes adjusted from the intense light, the tod stepped back and gasped. _"The old barn"_ was definitely not what he imagined it to be.

The barn's walls were all wooden, no surprise there. Though on the top portion of the walls hung a beautiful trail of bright white Christmas lights that all flashed at different intervals. Upon further inspection, the walls were also decorated with posters, newspapers, and other knickknacks. Wooden tables and chairs were arranged on the floor. In the back was a large stage. On the stage rested a single bar stool and a lone microphone.

"Pretty cool, huh?" The bunny smiled knowingly at him from his side.

"So it's like a showroom?" The tod asked incredulously. "Your family built all this?" He continued to inspect the walls where some decade old items were carefully placed or hung up. Some parts of the walls even held instruments. He guessed those were for performances.

"Yep. My dad and a few of my older brothers spent an entire year polishing and decorating this place. We usually hold monthly talent shows here and invite other family's from Bunny Burrow over."

"That's incredible." The spectacle had left him breathless. The place had a sort of warmth to it. It had its own spark that reminded him of the comedy clubs back in the city. Except this one was far more personal, it was built by Judy's family. A lively place where animals could just be themselves and perform on stage. He'd been so deep in thought he didn't even notice that his partner was talking to him again.

"-the artsy bunch of my family love performing here." She spoke. The two stood in silence for a moment. Judy was prepared to close down the barn for tonight and leave when she had a brilliant idea, "Nick, do you have any amazing talents?"

The fox's eyes got real wide and his breath hitched. The cream colored fur on his muzzle turned bright pink. Nick Wilde, sarcastic, witty, and confident fox officer, was totally embarrassed. She mentally berated herself for not bringing her Polaroid camera along to capture this rare moment.

"I-I wouldn't call it a talent… but yeah." His voice seemed to crack. He looked like she caught him with felony tax invasion.

"Show me." The rabbit demanded.

Nick wasn't a dumb fox, as convinced as Judy was in labeling him as that. Being of average intelligence, he knew never to deny her when she demanded something. He cringed, remembering all the times he had to be the one to leave the couch to go grab take out. He had been to chicken to tell her that it was her turn to leave the apartment for once. She always got what she wanted.

"You have a guitar I can borrow?" The fox asked while playing with the fur on the back of his neck. The bunny jetted off the stage and into the corner of the room. She came back a moment later with a very expensive looking acoustic guitar in one hand and a long black cable in her other hand. Judy practically broke the amp by jamming the chord into its input. She thrust the slim guitar into the fox's open arms.

The tod turned the guitar over, inspecting it. Six nylon strings, nineteen frets, and a quality red polished wood… this guitar was damn near perfection. He realized that he had never held a guitar quite like this. His old guitar - back at his apartment - still needed the strings repaired.

In his lackadaisical state, he had failed to see that Judy had jumped below the stage and was impatiently waiting for his performance.

"I don't play much…"

"Oh shut it, Dumb Fox, and play something for me."

Without a moment to spare, he slung the guitar strap over his shoulders and began to strum the guitar, testing it in case it needed to be tuned. He tucked away his tail and sat on the bar-stool. The microphone in front of him was a little to low so he adjusted it.

He began to feel nervous. His mouth was dry, his heart rate accelerated, and his vision started to black around the edges.

"What song should I play?" The fox asked, obviously trying to buy more time. The rabbit huffed in annoyance.

"Anything. I don't care."

He nodded and then proceeded to strum a few chords in a rhythm. Judy sat below the stage, already entranced and mystified by her partner's performance. She noticed that the song seemed to be familiar as he began to get closer to the vocals.

* * *

 **[Nick is playing: When You Were Young - by The Killers]**

* * *

He stopped strumming for a moment to look up and take a gander at his partner below the stage. She looked completely enthralled, almost hypnotized by his musical talent. He knew he wasn't some sort of rock prodigy, but Judy's appraisal did a lot to boost his already inflated ego.

The song had started to pick up. With practiced paws, he was able to hit every chord. All the memories came flooding back to him. The old days, out on the street, when he was fighting for his life just to snag some spare change. He could recall all the attention he'd get as a kit. Crowds would form around the young fox as he played his little heart out on his tiny ukulele. Playing whatever song someone who paid requested.

Judy had been so distracted by his musical performance, that she hadn't bothered to notice her foot tapping in rhythm to the beat of the song. To be honest, Nick wasn't much of a singer. His voice had a sort of gravely tone that sometimes would sound off key.

 _He definitely couldn't complete with Gazelle,_ Judy thought humorously.

However, his guitar skills completely made up for his lack of vocals. She watched his quick daft fingers dance over the nylon strings, wondering how his paw pads could move so quickly and effortlessly. Eventually, those thoughts soon crashed into the gutter when she imagined what other things he could do with those paws. She silently cussed herself out, trying to get that image out of her head.

He didn't deserve to be a part of her wild fantasies. It wasn't like she was completely and madly in love with him. Though she'd be totally lying if she said she didn't have some sort of weird feelings for him.

The fox had a lot of admirable qualities. For one, underneath all that snark and wit was a compassionate and caring fox. He demonstrated that by agreeing to accompany her during this trip. She could instantly tell how uncomfortable he was when he left the truck and walked up the driveway to greet her Mom. But he did it for her. He did a lot of things for her.

She knew he secretly cared about things. He usually liked to put up a facade that he wasn't interested in other people's thoughts or feelings. He'd sometimes brush people off at work and tried to one up them by saying something witty and outright insulting. However, Judy had known him long enough to know that he did care about his coworkers to some degree.

The fox had really grown on her over the years. To think that they used to not be on friendly terms was ludicrous. It only took a little less than twenty-four hours for the two of them to completely change their opinions of one another.

Throughout the first few months of Nick's training at the academy, she began to notice the small feelings in her stomach when she was around him. Not bringing attention to it, she decided to categorize the feeling as nervousness.

Though why would she be afraid of Nick? Sure, he was a predator and the instinctual part of her brain kept telling her that danger was near. But after hanging around him before and after work hours, she began to develop a sort of ease in his presence. She no longer had the instinct to scamper away from him. In fact, she would even go as far as saying that she trusted him with her life. She wouldn't have offered to partner up with him if she didn't. In her line of work, trust was crucial.

She could try and bottle her feelings and keep things the way they were. Ignore it and move on, in the hopes that it will simply go away. Though some small intuition had told her that this wasn't just a fling. That maybe - just maybe - this was something different.

She didn't know what to feel…

Judy had been so deep in her thoughts she hadn't realized that the song Nick was playing for her was now coming to an end.

She watched as he finished strumming the last few notes. He gave a little extra finesse towards the end by bending the string to give it a wobble effect. He shrugged off the guitar strap and finally made eye contact again with her.

"Um… how was that?" He slowly started to cringe when he noticed her expression. It definitely wasn't excitement he was looking at, it was curiosity.

"Where did you learn to play like that?" Judy asked.

"Live on the streets for a couple years and you'll pick up a lot of things. Before I schemed mammals for their money, I did a little bit of street performing." Nick shrugged as if it were nothing.

"We've known each other for over a year now and I still find out new things about you every single day." She half-heartedly giggled to herself. The thought amazed her. Her entire year they had been practically conjoined at the hip and yet she knew very little about him. It made her think how much he knew about her.

He practically knew everything about her. Her childhood adventures, her ambitions, her school life… he could even tell when she was lying by the way her nose twitched. It was almost infuriating how little she knew about him.

"I tend to keep these things to myself, Fluff." He seemed to go distant all of the sudden. He lost eye contact with her. He brushed his paws over the frets of the guitar, a distant solemn expression took over his muzzle. Judy almost jumped a little when his eyes snapped back to hers. For a while, he just stared at her. He appeared to be thinking about something if she had to guess. "Judy, you're the only one I've really let in before." His voice seemed to crack,

"I've always been distant from others. But with you, it feels like I can just be myself. I can be who I want without judgment…" He paused for a second, "Thank you, Carrots, for accepting me. Not only as your partner and co-worker, but as your friend. I-I don't know where I'd be without you."

The tod's voice cracked again, but this time he disguised it with a precisely timed cough. His eyes got all wide when he noticed his partner below the stage.

She had a look of determination on her face. Her eyes were glazed and her nose was twitching. Running to the edge of the stage, she positioned one of her legs over it and hoisted herself up. Nick noticed what was happening and decided to hop off the bar-stool and set the guitar down on the floor. He outstretched his arms and braced for impact.

She leaped into the air and landed onto his waist. Her legs quickly tightened around his torso and her arms latched around his neck. The impact has caused the fox to stumble backward and into the bar-stool. He carefully sat down.

Nick slowly locked his arms underneath her legs to support her. For a while, the two mammals sat on the bar-stool, limbs attached to one another.

"Thank you, Nick. For letting me in. Without you, I wouldn't be where I am either." She squeezed his neck harder. Her head rested just below his collar; she could hear the rhythmic beating of his heart.

It made her smile.

Eventually, the two peeled back from one another and made eye contact. Nick's breath hitched and his head tilted slightly as if he were confused about something. Judy noticed how his predatory eyes lingered on her face, as if he were examining every single detail on her face. It was sort of intimidating but it still made her cheeks turn rosy. Not wanting Nick to notice her blush and thinking quickly, the rabbit managed to hide her embarrassment with her long ears.

She startled a bit when she felt her ear being touched. She looked up and noticed Nick had brushed aside one of her ears. He needed a better view and she was blocking that from him.

"That's better." He slowly smiled, showing off his pearly white canines that she found oddly fascinating to look at when he wasn't looking.

She felt his large paw drift to her cheek. It rested there for a moment before it descended downwards. It now remained just below her chin. His palm felt warm. The warmth from his paw trickled down and throughout her body. An involuntary shiver escaped her.

She blinked twice, trying to understand what was happening to her. However, her eyes became imprisoned by Nick's. His large shimmering green eyes were fixed on her. His long snout was pulled back into a charming smile.

Her eyes followed up his snout and towards his cheek bone. His powerful jaws seemed to jut outwards where they then tapered off towards his ears. She noticed the incredible fur markings that were speckled around his face, even the dark red around his eyes that helped bring out his eyes.

She never noticed how incredibly handsome her partner was.

Fully distracted and entranced, she closed her eyes and tilted her head. The tod wasted no time and copied her actions. The two were moments away fr-

"Judy! Judith, you in here?" A loud masculine voice shouted from behind the barn doors. The two hypnotized mammals were startled by the voice and instantly broke apart from one another. Judy would've tripped backwards and fallen off the stage if it weren't for Nick's incredibly fast reflexes.

He snatched her sweatshirt and tugged her forward and into his arms.

The barn door creaked open and in popped Judy's father donning a worried look at the pair. Stu's eyes jumped from the fox to his daughter.

Noticing their close proximity, Stu's eyes widened. Nick physically cringed while under her father's gaze. He carefully let go of Judy and helped her gather her balance. The two took a moment to straighten out their fur.

Stu cleared his throat. He brushed aside some stray neck fur before changing the topic.

"I'm sorry for interrupting your performance there, Nicholas. Boy, can you strum a guitar!" The portly rabbit swung an arm across his chest in a cheerful gesture, trying his best to ignore whatever just happened between his daughter and his new house guest. "I noticed that the light was on in here and decided I'd better check it out."

"It's okay, Sir. I appreciate the appraisal." Nick nodded politely, failing to make eye contact with him.

"While I'll leave you two be. Judy, promise to lock up the barn when you leave?" Judy's father looked his daughter directly in the eyes. His daughter returned a nod of agreement. "Well… g-good night you two." The portly rabbit quickly waved goodbye before closing the barn door and leaving towards the house.

Judy and Nick stared at the stage floor, too bashful to look up at each other.

"Um… so, we should probably head back inside," Nick suggested, a small blush could be seen just below his fur if Judy had looked up.

"Yeah… I like that idea." The embarrassed rabbit quickly bounced off the stage and down towards the barn's exit.

The tod followed.

* * *

Judy sat alone on her bed, her knees were held snug against her chest. She gazed at her wall at the far end of the room. She seemed to be mesmerized by something. Her mind was having a battle with her own thoughts.

 ** _What had happened tonight?_**

 ** _Did she really try to kiss her best friend?_**

All these questions were running through her head and she didn't know how to answer them. She kept telling herself that she was just in the heat of the moment. That it wouldn't have meant anything if she had followed through with her actions. Her emotions might've gone haywire again and she acted on impulse.

 ** _She hadn't meant to kiss her best friend… right?_**

Though deep down, she knew this wasn't impulse. She knew what she felt for her best friend. The problem was the repercussions of it all. If she did act on impulse and decide to take her friendship with Nick up a notch… it could lead to a ton of complications, some of which were self-explanatory.

It could lead to her Chief assigning them new partner's to work with. Fraternizing with other officers would go against police conduct and therefore the Chief would have to remove them as partners. Working with another partner would crush her. Having Nick as a partner on the force was the best decision she had ever made. His insufferable snark and witty sarcasm had managed to cheer her up on days where the Chief would assign them meaningless tasks, like parking duty.

And then there were the undeniable actions of her parents. They would be extremely difficult to sway. Sure, they had partnered up with Gideon Grey as a business partner. But there was a difference between becoming business partners with a fox and having your own daughter shack up with one.

Stu, her father, would probably chase Nick across the field wielding a pitchfork. It wasn't to far fetched either. She could remember some of the more "sketchy" rabbits she had courted home with her. Judy seemed to attract the more dangerous bucks to her for some reason. Perhaps it was her thrill to work on the police force that had brought in the bad boys. Or perhaps it was her own innate desires to shack up with a tough boy who lived dangerously.

Stu later found out that she was dating a buck who hadn't finished high school with a smoking problem…

That was the last she ever saw of the young buck.

Then there was the difference in species thing. How could she ignore that?

How would the logistics of it all work? Biologically, Nick couldn't give her kits. To be honest, she was fine with that. She never much enjoyed the idea of having to quit her job to foster young-lings. Her career meant far more to her than that.

She knew she had probably been over analyzing this. Thinking about kits with Nick was an immense stretch. The future probably held something different in store for her.

And then there was Nick.

 **What did he think of this all?**

 **Did he see all the problems that could happen if he were to court her?**

 **Did he even care?**

 **Does he even really love her? Truly and undeniably love her?**

 _This was going to be a rough night…_

* * *

 _ **Author's Note: I know nobody reads these… though there's a chance that some people actually do, so I'll continue. Thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to read my boring fanfic.**_

 _ **I started writing this chapter early January and have spent months [literally months] trying to perfect it and get it right. I have a lot of doubts about this story. I'm not Shakespeare. I'm an average writer at best. Please feel free to leave any critical feedback you might have as a review. I need to know the things I did wrong so that I can improve them in the next chapter.**_

 _ **That being said:**_ _ **I have absolutely no clue when the next chapter will come out or if it'll be over 10k words lmao! I am what some might call a "perfectionist." Everything I do involving literature must be exactly to my liking… otherwise, I scrap it and redo it.**_

 _ **Thank you for reading this monstrosity and I hope it pleased you. I'll see you guys in the next chapter! Stay tuned!**_


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